The Monitor
The Monitor (モニタ, Monita) is a mysterious and enigmatic character of the Bleach fanon series. He is one of the deities of Red Sun, the name for a group of Hankami born from Izanami-no-Mikoto. He is a recurring character, acting as an overseer of certain characters and events (hence the name). He serves as a protagonist for the Bleach: Dark Intentions arc. Throughout the Children of Izanami arc, he serves as one of the central antagonists. Appearance The Monitor has a somewhat average build for an adult male. All if not most of his body features are hidden underneath a brown trenchcoat, blue jeans, and olive-green sneakers. His head and face is hidden underneath a hood, and bandages are wrapped around his knuckles. The skin on his fingers are a Caucasian color, suggesting that he is one of the more sentient races of the dimensions. During the late events of Bleach: The Children of Izanami, he takes off his cloak to reveal his full appearance. He wears a unique Shihakkusho uniform with a sash covering the entirety of his torso as well as the top of his lower body. His skin is somewhat pale, and he has black hair and onyx eyes. Like his siblings, he has a rather youthful appearance despite living since the beginning of Japan. Personality The Monitor is a character almost devoid of emotions. He does not express himself, his actions limited to mirroring that of his duty. In the cases that he interacts directly with people, he commonly acts in a directing and formal manner. This method of "talking" as well as the fact that he never speaks gives off a rather eerie and enigmatic feel around him. His method of commonly appearing and then disappearing can be quite unnerving to some, particularly if it continues to happen to one particular character or cast of characters. The events of the world, even in the case of threatening the balance he is overseeing, do not bother him in even the slightest way. However, he is sentient, constantly aware of whoever he interacts with. This does not mean that his actions are limited to passive motions; he is capable of violence and brutality - a trait he is not hesitant to use when the it proves necessary. Despite his void of a personality, he does seem to hold respect and value for his brothers and sisters. His confrontation with Daisuke was not one to punish, but to see if he was truly worthy of saving the Punisher. History The start of the Monitor's background spans back to the beginning of early Japan by Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-Mikoto. After giving birth to the incarnation of fire Kagu-Tsuchi, Izanami died and was sent to the realm of the dead. Izanagi was so enraged and grieved by her demise that he killed Kagu-Tsuchi. Although Izanami was in the world of the dead, she could feel the newborn's death as if it were her own. At that given moment, she felt grief, rage, and betrayal at Izanagi for taking the innocent life. Her feelings caused her to become disillusioned with the fate of humanity and consume the fruit of the underworld. Upon consumption, it is said that her flesh was ripped from her body and formed into separate entities. One of these entities was the Monitor, who was known to his mother as Apashii (アパシー, Apathy). Unlike the rest of his brothers and sisters, he was born in a form that was hideous and monstrous, but retaining a still humanoid appearance. Izanami's rage and grief at her beloved had unintentionally warped his appearance, all of those negative feelings focused on him. This also had the effect of cutting a deep gash in his sense of humanity, as with the rest of the children. Weakened and now effectively one with the land of the dead, Izanami bestowed the Monitor the task of watching over the spiritual and physical world in order to keep existence in check. Synopsis Dark Intentions Arc *Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Into Motion *Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Through the Looking Glass *Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Through the Looking Glass II Joining As One Arc *Bleach: Joining as One Arc: Signs Children of Izanami Arc *Children of Izanami: Initialization *Los Niños de Izanami: Inicialización *Los Niños de Izanami: Confirmación *Los Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno *Los Niños de Izanami: Culminación Bleach: The War of Four *The War of Four: In Touch Powers & Abilities Immense Shinsei: The Monitor, born of the dark nature of Shinsei, exudes an aura around him that affects his target's emotional state. His power can send feelings of hopelessness from afar, slowly breaking even strong-willed opponents down to a more pitiful state.Los Niños de Izanami: ConfirmaciónLos Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno At close proximity, the power of his aura increases drastically, and the target under the influence can go so far as to revert to a catatonic state. Even entities that are not targeted by him are somewhat affected by the aura he exudes. He is capable of suppressing this aura, only allowing it to roam when he needs to. His energy can be controlled in order to create a path for leading people down a certain objective. Haya Master: The reason that the Monitor is capable of appearing from one area to another from monumental distances in a short time is because he possesses tremendous speed. This is shown to a considerable extent in the confrontation he had with Ahatake Kurosaki, his speed surprising and overwhelming his opponent in seconds.Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Through the Looking Glass II Immense Strength: Despite his humanoid form, the Monitor is capable of exerting strength on a supernaturally high level. One full-strength blow is enough to put his targets in a concussed and vulnerable state, the force enough to send that same target several miles away.Bleach: Dark Intentions Arc: Through the Looking Glass IILos Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno With a single swing of his sword, he is able to dismantle a powerful concentration of energy being directed at him and severely wound his target at the same time.Los Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno Immense Durability: As one of the Children, the Monitor is tremendously durable in combat, up to a point where he is seemingly invincible against his opponents. During a fight with Daisuke Hayate and his Zanpakutō's Bankai form, he withstood two consecutive and high-powered attacks and come out unscathed, despite Daisuke's claim that the latter attack could only be withstood by him and his Zanpakutō.Los Niños de Izanami: Despertar del Infierno Seifu no Yakuwari As the Punisher explainsThe War of Four: Recovery, every Hankami that was born is given a certain "role" known as Seifu no Yakuwari (政府の役割, Government Role). All Hankami have their own unique role in order to enforce in the universe's governing, with said role giving them their own unique powers and abilities. The Monitor's role stems from his dominion over the fabric of the existing dimensions. Out of the survivors of the Hankami, he is known as one who has fully recognized and accepted his role, therefore completing the power he has. *'Futsu no Me' (仏の目, Buddha's Eyes): A passive ability. The Monitor adopts a sitting meditative stance similar to the Shinigami's Jinzen technique. Once he allows himself to fully relax, his mind becomes universally aware of everything around him. He is capable of detecting even the slightest change within the dimension he is in as well as others. Not only can he detect, but he can also analyze and identify specific details of targets being affected by this ability. *'Ensōgen' (演奏弦, Playing Strings): Within the Void, there is a sub-dimension that only the Monitor is capable of accessing. This sub-dimension is home to a mass gathering of strings similar to ones that are seen on a stringed instrument. To any outsider, they would seem to be scattered and randomly placed throughout the sub-dimension. But to the Monitor, it is organized perfectly. Each string represents a fabric, and when it is plucked, an event of natural occurrence happens. A set of strings plucked bring about, consequently, will bring about a chain of events. This is done regularly in order to make sure balance between the dimensions is maintained and the fabric of the universes are stabilized. The Monitor can access them physically while he's in the dimension, or mentally while he's out. *'Musei Himei' (無声悲鳴, Voiceless Screams): To activate this ability, the Monitor stabs his victim in the chest and triggers a powerful auditory hallucination. The victim's voice will begin speaking to it within the confines of its own head, relaying what actions it had committed to provoke the Monitor into using this ability on it. The victim's point of view shows his surroundings being replaced in the void and itself falling into an endless abyss. On the outside, the victim's body slowly disintegrates into light dust, leaving no trace but the Zanpakutō carried (if it had one). *'Kokoro no Tsumi' (心の罪, Mind Transgression): The Monitor can appear in the innards of someone's mind without warning or notice. In the case of Zanpakutō-wielding targets, he can appear within their mindscape without the consent of either the user or the Zanpakutō. But in the case of normal Souls and those without Zanpakutō, his presence within the mind can cause powerful hallucinations. In the latter case, he mostly appears within their dreams and nightmares. He can intrude within someone's mind without needing to do so, but due to their state of awareness, jumping into someone's mind while they are awake can cause severe psychological damage. The target's perception of the world around him is under the Monitor's influence until he leaves the vessel. Unlike the majority of his other abilities, the use of this ability does not require any prepared gesture in order to activate it. *'Yōki' (容器, Vessel): A direct-combat ability of the Monitor. He is capable of shifting his very body into Shinsei constructs in order for both offense and defense. Trivia *The Monitor's role is derived from the roles of Valtiel from the Silent Hill series and The G-Man from the Half-Life 2. All three are tasked with looking over and monitoring a certain brand of characters, particularly the main character. Gallery References Category:Red Sun